UWE Bristol are proud to launch a special series of the Changemaker podcast that shines a light on some of the incredible work our Black academics are doing to drive change.
The Changemaker Podcast Series is about highlighting work that is taking place across UWE Bristol to transform futures and drive positive impacts.
This special series features six of our Black academics that are each pioneering change in their research areas and teaching practice. The series celebrates each of these amazing academics and confronts a range of racial justice issues in the Higher Education sector.
The inspiring series covers a range of topics, including celebrating Black heritage and culture, and the importance of research that involves and benefits the wider community.
In each episode, we get to hear about the academic’s career so far and how they are creating positive & impactful change through their work.
The idea for this special podcast series came from Professor Emmanuel Adukwu who has previously championed the Black History Month Celebrating excellence booklet. Emmanuel features in one of the episodes.
The first two episodes are now live:
Changemaker podcast series: Amy Saleh
Changemaker podcast series: Malcolm Richards
Future episodes will include:
- Professor Shawn Sobers – Professor of Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice
- Professor Angelina Sanderson Bellamy – Professor of Food Systems
- Ann de Graft-Johnson – Senior Lecturer Architecture and Planning
- Professor Emmanuel Adukwu – Deputy Head of School
Chief People Officer Dan Wood commented:
“This podcast is a chance to really understand the wealth of brilliance our Black academics bring to the UWE Bristol community. These conversations are both inspiring and impactful.
Colleagues have shared their experiences with raw honesty, highlighting both their achievements and sadly the painful realities of racism they face. Their message is clear, and I fully support it: we must acknowledge the harm racism causes and take meaningful, sustained action to address it—both institutionally and personally. These conversations are challenging, but vital.
Passivity won’t suffice. We must actively commit to anti-racist practices and foster a culture of equity and racial justice. There is much to improve, and it’s on us to lead that change and be accountable. This podcast series is a clarion call, urging us to question, challenge, and transform ourselves, our institution, our sector and wider society. At UWE our evolving anti-racism strategy, along with new resources and actions, will be shared soon.”
We are incredibly grateful to Emmanuel, Amy, Angelina, Shawn, Ann and Malcom for giving up their time for this series. The collective sharing of their expertise has led to a truly unique podcast series, with each episode brilliant in its own right.
The first two episodes are available on the UWE Bristol Soundcloud page and the next episodes will be released weekly.